If I Die Young
by xXxNaru-LovexXx
Summary: Naru is leaving for England, and Mai doesn't know what to do. Will she confess? Will he accept? Will everything turn out okay, or will tragedy ensue the SPR team? Rated T for romance and violence.
1. Don't Say Goodbye

**WASSUP?! I got back from a Cadet function yesterday. But not just any activity – Annual Ceremonial Review. The MOST IMPORTANT day of the Cadet year. We did spectacular, and I'm happy. So happy I started thinking about writing more for FanFiction. I got into some angst and tragedy videos on YouTube, so here's the finished product of my imaginative thoughts!**

**This story takes place before Naru leaves for England.**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. Play "If I Die Young" – The Band Perry - while you read once I mention where to.**

Naru stood from where he sat on the black leather couch at this apartment, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window one last time.

He felt so upset, the only thought crossing his mind being Mai. Her smile, her brown eyes, the way she laughed…

Naru would be terribly depressed to see her cry when he left. He knew that she would. He had never loved anybody more than he loved her, and didn't want to leave just yet.

He was leaving for England in about three hours, and wished to visit the office, SPR, one last time. Naru gathered all of the things that he needed before he left – his briefcase, a photo of himself and Gene, and some boxes of tea.

Naru put on his shoes, grabbing the key to his soon-to-be "old home" and walked slowly out of the apartment's door, sighing slowly.

He walked a few paces before flipping open his phone, dialing the number of his mentor, Lin. The dial tone rang for a few moments before a low voice at the other end answered his phone.

"Naru?" he asked.

"Yes. I have a… favour to ask of you." Naru responded.

"And what would that be?"

"I would like you to call the irregulars of the company and ask them to meet at the office." Naru's cool voice rang from the outside.

"And what about Mai?" Lin teased. "She's not an irregular, you know. She works directly for the office."

"…I'll call her myself." Naru sighed inwardly.

"Alright. I will see you then."

"Goodbye, Lin." The phone cut off, the dead tone ringing in Naru's right ear. He flipped the phone closed and pocketed the object.

_Time to call Mai…_

Mai sat at the end of her couch, a hand resting on her forehead. Not once in her life, not even after her mother passed away, had she felt this depressed. Never.

She curled up with a pillow at the left side of the couch, shaking her head in sadness. If she didn't open up to Naru today, before he left for England, would he ever know how much she loved him?

Mai flung the pillow in surprise when the phone rang. Her mind had been so deep in thought that any little sound would scare her. And unfortunately, the phone was pretty loud.

She crossed the room and picked up the noisy thing. "Hello?"

"…Hello, Mai." A cool voice rang from the other end.

Mai blushed furiously when she heard the person's voice. How could she ever forget that sound?

"Oh, hey Naru! What's up?"

"I… I would like for you to meet me and the others at the office before I leave today…" Naru's voice went smaller near the end of the sentence.

_Why did he have to remind me..?_

"Oh… sure." Mai whispered. "Yeah, I'll come up. It's not like I'd miss your going away! But even then, it's not like I'd miss you that much…" Mai blushed, trying to lie so as to not alert him of her feelings.

"Ahhh… yes. I will see you there, then?" Naru's voice betrayed him, keeping a soft edge to his voice, just enough so that Mai was able to know his sadness and unwillingness to leave.

"Yeah… I'll be there." She smiled sadly.

Mai kept the phone to her ear, just so she could know that Naru was still there, waiting for her to say something else.

_Are you still there, Naru..? _She thought.

"…Are you going to come or not?" Naru wanted to keep a conversation going, for some reason.

"Yes! Of course! I wouldn't miss you leaving for the world! I mean – I'm sure it's not just me that'll miss you…" Mai spluttered awkwardly.

"Yes, I know. I think that everyone will feel sadness at seeing me leave, but to a certain degree. I'm not the most enjoyable person to be around, after all." He laughed painfully.

"Yeah, that's obvious. But… I'll see you there, then." Mai walked over to her front door.

Silence was kept for a moment.

"…Goodbye, Mai." Naru inquired quietly.

"Goodbye, Naru." She hung up the phone, the emptiness that threatened to engulf her earlier swallowing her whole.

_Don't say goodbye yet…_ Mai thought, crying quietly, reaching for the doorknob.

Naru walked slowly down the street, each hand in their respective pocket of his trenchcoat. He counted each of his steps for no apparent reason, just distracting his thoughts from wandering off and thinking about the fact that he was going to be separated from Mai. Naru blushed slightly at his own ridiculous thoughts, and kept walking, moving a little faster now.

Upon reaching the office building, he noticed three cars parked outside – Lin's, Ayako's and John's. Naru smiled the smallest smile in the world at being able to see his co-workers again before he left.

He turned the doorhandle very slowly, and as the wooden thing swung open, he heard footsteps running over to him.

"Naru!" Mai shouted, hands in the air. "Hey guys, he's here!" She ran into the depths of the office, a wide smile upon her face.

Everyone smiled and waved upon his arrival. Naru simply cocked a brow at the people's shenanigans and efforts to make him smile. His eyes swept over the room, gazing at all of his 'friends.'

Monk smiled and waved. "Hi, Naru!"

Ayako smirked and laughed. "Fancy seeing you here!"

John smiled, speaking. "Hey, Kazuya! Glad you could make it!"

Masako's gaze softened. "Hello, Naru."

Yasu's eyes brightened, and his glasses shone with the light from the ceiling fan. "Hey, Naru!" He yelled.

Lin turned around from his laptop screen and waved. "You made it. I'm surprised."

Lastly, his gaze rested upon Mai. The girl stared up into his face from where she was sitting on the ottoman, a small, sad smile upon her face, blushing slightly. She turned away and resumed to twiddle her thumbs on her lap.

Naru continued to stare at the back of her head, feeling empty inside. "Well, seeing as we're all gathered here and I'm going to England in a few hours, I guess you want to throw a party."

His venomous glare was cast upon Monk and Ayako, glowing deep blue in a 'Don't-you-dare-say-what-I-think-you're-going-to' way.

"Yeah, that sounds awesome! Party up in here!" Monk shouted, hands in the air.

Naru pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, opening his eyes a fraction of a centimeter to see Mai's face from behind his eyelashes.

**Well! That was pretty good so far, don't ya think? I was planning on making this a one-shot, but there's so much more to do!**

**See you all in the next chapter!**

**-xXxNaru-LovexXx**


	2. The Man of Mai's Dreams

**I got SEVEN reviews in ONE day for the first chapter of this story, so I figured you'd all want another chappie! Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers for keeping up to date on my stories!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 2: The Man of Mai's Dreams

Naru let his hand slide down from his face and he went to sit down on his leather chair. He crossed his legs neatly over themselves and opened his mouth.

"Any ideas?" He spoke clearly.

"I don't know…" Monk mumbled.

"No idea." Ayako looked down at her feet.

"Not a single thought, mate." John's Kansai voice was laden with thoughtful confusion.

"Hey – don't look at me!" Yasu waved his hands in the air when Naru looked at him.

Finally, Naru was able to look at Mai again. She sat on the ottoman, knees bent inwards to eachother, hands folded together in a ball on top of her legs. Her head was cocked sideways in thought.

"Mai?" Naru's cool voice rang through her ears and she looked up.

"Well, I think we should order some sushi, maybe, and just spend as much time with you as possible before you… leave." Her voice cracked at the last word.

Naru bit the inside of his cheek, contemplating this option. No one else had given him something else to work with, so Mai's idea it was!

"Alright. We'll go with that." Naru spoke. He stood from his chair and strode over to the telephone, picking the device up and lifting his hand to dial a number.

"Does anybody have a specific sushi place in mind?"

Monk's head snapped upward. "Oh yeah! My second cousin owns a nice little sushi shop outside town!"

"And is it expensive?" Naru inquired.

"Nope!" Monk exclaimed, eyes bright.

"Do they offer takeout?"

"Mm-hmm!" Ayako interjected. "I actually ate there a few times before. You need the number, Naru?"

"Well, seeing as I'm standing beside a telephone, yes, or were you too stupid to realize that?" Naru smirked.

"And here comes the verbal sumo match!" Yasu flung his hands into the air, waving them in excitement and fear. His eyes were wide, a smile stretched across his face. After a while of Ayako running on and on to Naru about his rude remarks that seemed to surface to his lips so often, the teen only spoke few words.

"That's true. I may be rude, but I'm not so open and confident about it." His smirk stretched even wider than before.

**Okay, just give me a minute to say this.**

**Naru's smirk grew three sizes that day.**

…

**Carry on, my loyal readers!?**

"WHY, YOU IGNORANT LITTLE-"

The dispute carried on for a short period of time, but only on Ayako's side. The only thing Naru did for that argument was sit and look pretty.

'Cause we all know that Naru's pretty freakin'… _pretty._

After an hour or so, someone knocked at the door. Monk ran up to answer, took the sushi inside and had a conversation with the delivery man. It appeared to be someone from Monk's family.

When he was done, he hugged the man and said goodbye, carrying the sushi over to the main office room, where the rest of SPR sat.

"Alright then! Let's get this show on the road!" He shouted.

Each member took some chopsticks from the package and their own tray of sushi. Mai took one with some Ootoro, Sashimi, Maki and Nigiri.

Half an hour passed by until everyone was done, Monk first, Yasu being the last. He seemed to savour the sushi the most!

On the other end of the spectrum, Monk just wolfed it down…

Sushi plates and chopsticks thrown away, the members of SPR sat once more in the rectangle they normally did at the office, the only exception being that Naru was leaning against the window, a look of worry and angst clouding over his normal and stoic expression.

"Something wrong, Naru?" Lin called from behind his laptop, hands at his side.

Mai suddenly felt empty again.

Why did everyone have to remind her that Naru would be leaving..?

The teen's head remained poignantly staring forward, but his eyes stared down at his feet, the whites exposed at the top of his iris. Something in his eyes said otherwise, but Naru responded;

"No. Nothing at all." He shifted nervously, arms crossed.

Lin remained silent, staring into Naru's face. The teen let his gaze wander to the people who sat by him, all looking up at him, some worried, some curious.

Mai, on the other hand, knew exactly why Naru was looking so down.

…_Is…is he going to miss us?_ Mai felt heat surge from behind her cheeks and eyes. She felt sympathy for her boss, but had no idea where it was coming from. She stood up, walking over to the kitchenette.

She picked up a tea tray and loaded it with cups and a teakettle. "You haven't had tea in a while, Naru. Do you want some?" Mai tried to smile in his direction.

"…No thanks." He responded.

Mai dropped the tea tray in her hands, glass and metal smashing all around at her feet. She looked shockingly over at Naru, who stared at the mess on the ground.

"Clean it up." He demanded. "That set in itself was worth ¥12,000 ($1,200), you know. Not to mention the tea you just wasted."

"OH – Sorry, Naru! I just – I didn't know that you actually didn't want tea-"

Naru glared at her in a 'you-expected-me-to-want-some' manner.

"UMMM, I mean – I know you love tea and all but-"

"You think I'm addicted or something?" He smirked.

"UHHHHHHH…" Mai spluttered out of control, her arms shooting to cover her head.

"I wouldn't ask her to answer that, Naru." Monk snickered. "You'll kill her with your Death Glare if you stare at her any longer with those evil eyes!"

SPR laughed out of control at their antics.

After the ruckus dissipated, Lin spoke softly. "You have about two hours before you have to leave, Naru."

Said teen glanced around the room nervously, his feet shifting on the carpet as his thoughts bloomed wildly.

_No…_

_Why do I have to leave just yet?_

_I don't want to leave Mai here…_

_Mai…_

_I really wanted that tea…_

_Why did I say no?_

_Mai!_

_Hnnn… I wish I could stay here forever._

_Forever seems like an awfully long time…_

_MAI! FOREVER WITH MAI!_

…

_Umm…_

_Okay…_

Naru mentally slapped himself and brought his mind with him to the real world.

"If you'll excuse me…" Naru started. "I'd like to be left alone in my office for a while." He started for the office door and left his co-workers behind in the livingroom. Walking into his 'lair,' Naru slammed the door bluntly behind himself, seeming to not care about the rest of the world around him.

Mai stared at the door where he left the room into. Tears welled up once again behind her eyes as she stood and tiptoed over to where her boss had gone, wanting to comfort him in some way.

But how is it possible to comfort the world's most self-centered, egotistic and narcissistic person?

Mai would have to find out, wouldn't she..?

Said girl twisted Naru's doorknob carefully, wary of what may happen, should she approach him stupidly or make a wrong move.

"Naru?" Mai called. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Just… I would like… to be alone right now." His voice was higher than usual, and cracked sometimes. Inbetween these odd vocal notations, Naru would stifle a sob or a sniffle.

Mai's eyes widened.

…_Don't tell me._

_Naru can't be crying._

_It's just – it's against his nature! Entirely wrong in every single way!_

She placed her hands calmly on his desk, leaving some space between the two of them.

"I… I know why you're upset, Naru. And I know, leaving can be hard." Mai tried to sympathize with the apparently cold-hearted person.

"It's not that. Close, but no cigar." Naru mumbled, tapping a finger on his desk. The teen held a steady gaze with the cuticle of his nail, not stopping to blink or shift his position.

"Then what is it?" Mai urged onward.

"I can't tell you that." Naru's immediate response came forward.

Silence was kept for a moment. Mai's heart began to bang against her ribcage, threatening to break free from its prison of bone. Her face lit up in different shades of red when she thought about what she would do next.

_I have to confess to him now, or I'll never be able to…_

"Naru…" Mai began, her voice laced with uncertainty.

"…Yes?" He responded quietly.

"You… know the way I feel about…" _Here it comes, Mai! Don't be afraid and chicken out now, while you're in mid-sentence!_

"…You…"

Naru's head snapped upward slightly, his face lightening a little. He didn't respond, but rather waited for what she would say next.

Mai curled her fingers and laced them together in each hand, cupping them in front of her legs. She occasionally fidgeted, her hands shaking from fear and excitement.

"I've known you for a long time now. And… I think that I might like you. A lot. And – in my dreams, when Gene shows up, I just feel so happy that someone that looks like you is smiling and-"

"That's the point, Mai." Naru blurted out.

"…What?" She was confused now.

"We are the same person. Same looks, same power, same personality. But one is good, and the other is bad. Which one do you choose?" Naru asked impatiently, standing and pacing around the room.

"Well, I-"

"Exactly. You can't answer. One simple question, Mai. So who is it that you love?" Naru stopped in front of her face.

"What do you mean, Naru?!" Tears rolled down her face, cheeks flushed pink.

"Me, or Gene?"

Naru walked out of the office, slamming the door harder behind him this time.

"_Me, or Gene?"_

The words echoed through Mai's mind over and over again until they took control of all other thoughts.

_Well, that answer is simple! I-_

But one other thought kept cycling, and overlapping the others.

"…_We are the same person. Same looks, same power, same personality. But one is good, and the other is bad. Which one do you choose?..."_

Mai bent down and cried harder, tears pouring down her scrunched face. Her body crumpled into a ball in the chair as Mai tucked her knees in and rocked back and forth on them.

"I don't know!" She whispered to herself. "I just don't know…"

And instead of the casual insult from Naru greeting her as she cried, Mai was invited in by the somber chorus of silence.

**Awww… I can't help but feel bad for Mai right now… Anyway, please R&amp;R and… have a good night! (or day. You could be reading this in daytime.)**

**See you all in the next chapter,**

**-xXxNaru-LovexXx**

**P.S.: I almost cried while writing this. You better be happy, seven people who reviewed. XD**


	3. Departure

**Awwwe, last chapter was so sad.. Special thanks to all of my readers for sticking with me so far and giving me ideas!**

**And now, without further ado, here's number 3!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Departure...

Mai still sobbed from inside Naru's office, the memory of his last words to her ringing through her ears.

"…_Me, or Gene?"_

Mai wiped her eyes and sat straight up now. She looked at the office door and wondered whether it would be wise to open it and walk out, or just sit here and cry forever.

But, the second option couldn't possibly last forever, could it…

Mai put her hands on the arms of the chair and pushed herself up from the thing. She felt like her legs were made of lead, her heart no longer pounding. Instead, it felt as if the vessel had stopped entirely, given up, just as Mai had.

_If he doesn't love me anyway, what life am I supposed to live? He gave me a job, an income, but not a single ounce of affection, the one thing I was mainly concerned about…_

_What's the point anymore, anyway?_

Mai twisted the doorknob and walked out into the livingroom, the rest of SPR just staring at her in awe.

Monk's face twisted. "Mai … what – what happened?" The man walked up to her and pulled her into a gentle hug.

And as always, when you're sad and you cry, it only gets worse when someone tries to comfort you.

But as Mai kept thinking about the incident that just passed, the repetition in her mind sounded ridiculous. _The only reason why I'm upset is because I told Naru that I loved him and he turned me down._

_Or, at least, that's what it seemed like…_

But suddenly, Mai's thoughts started to blank automatically, almost as if she were shutting down, like some sort of machine.

_But that's not it, is it?_

_I'm sad because Naru's leaving, and I don't want to see him go…_

Tears flowed from Mai's large brown eyes as the Monk cupped her head in one of his hands. "It's alright, Mai. I don't know what happened, but I'm sure it'll all be okay." His low voice was soothing, but not enough for Mai at the moment.

No, she needed to take action, to do something about this. She sprung and ran to the door, opening it. Mai looked outside and caught a glimpse of Naru opening Lin's van door. The teen heard the front door open and looked up at Mai.

He looked down, a frown upon his elegant face. "Lin, we should leave early. The more time, the better…"

Naru slammed the van door when he was inside and drove off quickly.

But it didn't seem to be so fast for Mai. No, time was going in slow motion. The van drove so slowly, Mai running out the door to follow the black vehicle, and she stopped in the middle of the street, kneeling on the ground, her skirt-clad knees becoming dusty from the dirt upon the driveway.

"Naru! Don't go!" Mai screamed, her tears blowing away in the wind. "Come back!"

It was too late.

But Mai could swear, as she saw the van pull away, she saw Naru's pale face looking in the window, tears of his own streaming down the mask of emotionless pain.

* * *

Mai ran back inside to Naru's office and grabbed something he had been playing with in his hands before she walked in.

It was a photograph of two people – twins, to be exact.

It was Naru and Gene, standing side-by-side. One smiled, one frowned.

Mai held the photo close to her chest and placed it inside her own back pack, running back home to her apartment, where she could think alone.

And as she ran down the busy streets, she could still remember her last conversation with the others before she left.

* * *

"_Hey, Mai! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Monk asked._

"_Home." She answered bluntly._

"_But – I thought you'd want to spend some more time with us before we all go." Ayako spoke, her fiery-red hair in a ponytail._

"_No, I'm fine. It's not that I don't want to be with you guys right now, it's just… I need to be alone right now…" Mai waved bye to them and walked out of the door._

* * *

She sat on her couch at home, curled up in the same place now that she was before she left for SPR the same day. She cried her heart out, her knees wetter than the unfinished dishes in her kitchen sink.

_No, this is all a dream. Just a… a bad dream. A nightmare, more like it._

_Naru will come back, I'm sure of it. He's not gone, he's just back at the office! Yeah, that's it…_

Mai's arms still wrapped around her knees, she looked up. Thank God she lived alone, or this would be a total embarrassment.

"Naru will come back, ne? He has to…" Mai began to talk to herself.

She mentally slapped herself; _no time to develop the mindset of a psychopath now, Mai. Not when your love needs you! You have to make sure he comes back…_

_But how..?_

A lightbulb blinked inside her head.

_Yes… That's a perfect idea…_

_But how will I carry it out, though?.._

_Oh, yes. That's right…_

Mai stood from her couch and left her apartment untouched. The only thing she needed was to think for a moment, someplace to go where she could be alone.

All Mai had to do was something dramatic, something that couldn't be recreated…

Something… terrible. Yes, that would _definitely_ attract Naru's attention.

* * *

Mai walked down the street, hands in pockets, face smug. She had a perfect idea to stir up some trouble and make Naru come back.

All she needed was a place to do it.

Mai walked further down the city streets, whipping her phone out. She dialed Ayako's number and waited for her response.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey, Ayako! I'm going to be back in about five or ten minutes, I'm just at the park. If I'm not back at the office soon, just come look for me."

"Alright. See you soon!" She hung up.

Mai's face contorted into an evil smirk. "Here we go."

* * *

She sat on one of the wooden bridges over the river that ran through town. It was small, yes, but deep. She hung her legs under the banister and waited for ten minutes, long enough for Ayako to come looking.

Soon enough, a white car pulled up to the parking lot and the door slammed open, Ayako running out after Mai, intending to find the girl. Something had to be wrong because she was so late to get back to office.

Suddenly, a brunette girl jumped off of one of the wooden bridges and into the water. She had a heavy rock attached to one of her feet and she into the blue.

And the dumbest idea that struck Mai, to get Naru's attention, was to fake a suicide.

That _had_ to make him come back…

* * *

**Is Mai going insane or something?! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see ya later! Hoping to update maybe tomorrow, so bear with me!**

**God, I can only imagine what Mai must be going through right now.**

**Not to mention going so far as to killing herself to get her love back…**

**See y'all later!**

**-xXxNaru-LovexXx**


	4. Come Back to Me

**I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO- *five hours later* -OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FREAKING SORRY THAT I TOOK SO DAMN LONG TO UPDATE THIS STORY. I promised all of my readers clearly that I would NEVER discontinue a story – and so far, the promise had been upheld.**

**Anyway, here's the long-awaited fourth chapter of if I Die Young!**

**Enjoy!**

**(A.N.: If you really want to, listen to 'Going Under' by Evanescence while reading the first portion of this chapter. It's pretty awesome. XD I was listening to it while writing this.)**

Chapter 4: Come Back to Me

Mai felt herself sink down, unable to hear Ayako's screams for the younger girl above the surface. She felt some sick sort of satisfaction that her idea was working so far – if SPR had become worried and frivolous enough about Mai's situation, they would absolutely _have_ to call Naru back to see her. After all, it was pretty obvious (as Mai thought) that the reason why she was so 'insane' in the first place was because Naru left back for England.

Mai looked upwards, a bubble of air escaping her mouth as she looked up in surprise at the dry world above. Two hands broke through the surface, quickly followed by a head, torso, legs and feet.

It was Monk, and he was trying to get Mai up from the bottom of the river.

She still had the rock tied to her foot – and it was around there pretty tightly. Mai learned how to tie the most effective knot for this sort of thing – she had made a successful 'Round-turn, Two Half Hitches' around her ankle, and it was fairly great, in her opinion.

The only part that wasn't so great about it was the fact that she would probably actually die while doing this. **(Author's Note: Ah, a woman will do crazy things when she's in love!)**

Monk gasped (or whatever awkward sound you would make that was anything close to that while underwater) from in the water as he tried to untie the knot around Mai's leg; where in the _hell_ did she learn that damn knot?!

He struggled to get the rope untied around her ankle. Panicked, he looked up into Mai's face.

Her face started to turn red, cheeks puffing out a little bit. She felt terribly dizzy and her head started to hurt. The last thing Mai remembered from this was the world going slowly black, a terrible pain stabbing at her chest and head as Monk's hands groping desperately at the rope around her leg, trying to loosen it and get her out of the position she was in.

* * *

Mai felt a stabbing pain in her chest. There was a pair of hands pressing onto the area right under her breast consecutively in a rhythm. She felt liquid rising in her chest and opened her eyes hurriedly, sitting straight and spitting up a large amount of water that was apparently in her lungs.

"MAI!" She heard a man yell from what seemed to be far away.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" A boy called.

Mai looked around, her vision clearing. She was surrounded by people on the little island in the middle of the park – Monk, Ayako, Masako, John and Yasu.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Ayako snapped loudly, looking Mai in her chocolate eyes.

The younger girl felt heat behind her eyes and cheeks. She felt like she wanted to cry, but not a single tear fell. She felt horribly sad, but another emotion was also present.

Shock.

Mai had _literally_ just tried to _kill herself_ to get Naru's attention.

_What's wrong with me..?_

"You damn near KILLED YOURSELF! ATTEMPTING SUICIDE WON'T BRING NARU BACK, MAI."

Said girl looked up at Ayako.

The woman had actually just said exactly what Mai had been thinking that entire time.

"Ayako…I…I-"

Mai stopped speaking when she looked directly at Ayako. The woman had stared into her face, but her gaze faltered and she looked to the side for a moment before tears began to fall from her eyes and she gripped Mai in the tightest hug she had ever gotten.

"I'm just glad you're still breathing…" Ayako whispered unsteadily in Mai's here.

Mai let a tear fall from her eye and she returned the hug. The rest of the irregulars gazed on silently, pitiful gazes clouding their faces. Mai felt their stares and broke down slowly.

"I just miss him so much already…"

* * *

Naru sat in the passenger seat of the van, looking out the window with head arm against the glass, his head on his hand.

"Is there something wrong, Noll?" Lin asked quietly.

"Nothing." He replied softly.

Lin let his eyes slide to the other man.

"I know when you lie."

Naru shifted slightly in his seat. There was no point in lying to the man, especially not since he had the power to turn the vehicle around or stop it.

"It's Mai."

Lin's head perked up a little bit. "You're finally expressing your feelings, aren't you." It wasn't a question.

"And what if I am?"

"Then you'd be ignorant and stupid for waiting so long and not telling her."

Naru felt that he should have taken offense to what his older assistant had said, but felt that he had deserved this. He had rejected her flat-up right before he left. He had watched her cry, not telling her that he hated watching her do it.

And what he hated the most was that he had made her.

Naru wished that he could replay this entire day and change what he had said. He would do anything to hear _anything_ about what she was doing right now.

Lin's cell phone started to ring. He dug through his vest pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?"

From where Naru was, he could only hear panicked voices – at least two or three of them – from the other end.

"No. She wouldn't do that."

Naru's head perked up. _Who? What? Who wouldn't do what!? _Voices continued hurriedly on the other end of the line.

"She – she _did!?_ Why would she-"

The people on the other end interrupted Lin, from what Naru could hear.

"LIN. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING O-"

Lin held up a finger, giving Naru a very (_very) _stern and serious glare. He broke eye contact, letting his eyes drop to the floor. "Well, is she _alright_, or what?! You know he'd be devastated!"

Naru felt himself lean backward slightly. Somebody was in a significant amount of trouble from what he had gotten out of this one-sided conversation.

Lin sighed in defeated relief. "Good. Do you all want us to come back? I'll have to ask Naru first if he wants to go. If he misses his flight, he's going to have to stay in Japan for a while before he can book another flight back." The older man looked at Naru. He blinked.

"…Well, it depends. What's happening right now?"

Lin looked down at the floor for a moment before looking Naru in the eye.

"Mai almost drowned a few minutes ago. If Ayako hadn't found her in time, she'd be dead."

Naru deadpanned. "_What?_"

"Exactly. Do you want to go or not? You won't be able to go back to England for at least a year-"

Naru didn't wait for the rest of the sentence before responding. "I'm going."

"But Naru-"

"_I don't care._ Mai needs me." Naru's chest was spiraling with emotion.

Lin's eyes narrowed. _Finally._

Lin kept calmly driving in the same direction.

"What are you doing?!" Naru's voice rose.

"I'm going to find a spot where I can turn around."

"NO, YOU'RE NOT." Naru took a hold of the steering wheel and turned the entire vehicle around, pressing his left foot against Lin's leg, making him drive faster as they were halfway through the U-turn.

"NARU!" Lin shouted. "YOU CAN'T JUST-"

"I NEED TO GET THERE QUICKLY!" Naru shouted louder than he ever had.

Lin let himself calm slightly as he realized that they were out of the turn and back on the other side of the road, driving back to the office.

Naru was sitting in his seat now, breathing heavily.

"Lin." He heaved quietly.

The older man didn't respond, so Naru continued.

"Just get there as fast as you can."

* * *

Mai sat on the ottoman at SPR, a towel over her, shaking violently.

"Do you want me to get you something?" Yasu sat on the chair nearest to her, his eyes full of concern.

"No, I think I'm alright now." Mai's eyes burned with unshed tears.

"Are you sure? I could make you some green tea." Yasu smiled sheepishly.

Mai looked down at her feet, then up at the barely-younger boy. "…That sounds nice. Thanks."

Minutes passed by, SPR sitting silently in the office, all staring at low places – their feet, the floor, the table, anything.

A sudden sound jolted everybody "awake."

A loud knock at the door.

Yasu was already standing, so he walked over near the door. Before he got there, an angry voice from the other side sounded (something like "Screw knocking, just _walk in_!")

Yasu stepped back in fright as the door flung open.

Standing there, the late summer breeze billowing his jacket, was Naru.

Mai's mouth opened slightly, a calm blush running over her face.

She stood quickly from her spot in the room and ran over to the door. She gripped Naru in a restraining embrace and she let herself fall against him.

Naru's eyes were wide. The irregulars and Lin looked over at him, probably expecting him to return the hug.

Naru let his eyes close slowly and he pressed his head against hers, wrapping his arms around her.

"You weren't even gone that long and I just didn't want you to leave and-"

"You don't have to explain yourself, Mai." Naru spoke gently. "I know."

Mai's eyes opened widely, and tears fell from them. "…Naru…"

Naru pulled Mai even closer than she already was, lifting her chin with his left forefinger.

"What would you do without me?" He smiled softly.

Mai felt the heat intensify behind her cheeks as she looked the smiling man in the eyes.

"…I love you, Naru…"

Naru let his own indigo eyes widen, feeling a great amount of happiness at her words, even if he didn't show it that much. He used the hand that was already on her chin to cup it, and pressed his lips against her in their first kiss. Mai's arms tightened around Naru, her oak eyes wide as saucers. They soon closed.

They broke apart after a few seconds, Naru keeping eye contact.

"I love you too, Mai."

A series of slow claps could be heard from the other room. Naru and Mai looked back into the room.

Monk was standing there, eyes wide, clapping very slowly. Soon, Ayako and John joined in, then Masako and Yasu. Smiles soon bombarded their faces as the claps got faster and louder.

Lin remained silent, walking over to the other room and getting his laptop.

"Happy 'Another Year,' Naru." Mai giggled.

Naru simply smiled and pulled Mai in for another kiss, the entire world muting around them as they shared a passion that had burned inside them both for the longest time.

**WELL. You wanted the last chapter, YOU GOT IT. Let me know how you liked it in a review, and if you haven't already, follow and favourite either myself or my stories.**

**(If you like Ghost Hunt, Kuroshitsuji, Pokémon or Ouran High School Host Club, you will not be disappointed!)**

**See you all in the next fiction!**

**-xXxNaru-LovexXx (Your Very Own Fangirl!)**


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